Let me first say that I am so delighted it is Primary Day here in Pennsylvania and by this evening the state will settle back in from 6 solid weeks of steady campaigning by the two democratic candidates.

Enough already with the robo calls, knocks on the door and pollsters phoning peddling their wares.

As I felt about Iowa and New Hampshire when they dominated the news cycle for an endless period of time, I now feel about my home state. Be gone..you will not be missed.

Now with that off my chest, the following are the fundraising totals for all three presidential candidates for the month of March.

The March reports marked the end of the first quarter of 2008 and illustrated how fundraising has spiked dramatically compared to the four quarters of 2007. Obama has raised $132 million so far this year, surpassing his total for all of 2007. Clinton raised $68.5 in the first quarter of this year; her average quarterly fundraising in 2007 was $27 million. McCain has raised $38 million this year, also exceeding his 2007 total.

Obama’s fundraising in March led all candidates, but was still lower than the mark he set in February, when he raised more than $55 million. The Illinois senator has raised $235 million in his campaign.

One month, that’s all. Wow. And this was not even a record setting month for other than Senator McCain. Pretty good take don’t you agree? Americans are a generous people as are the corporations and special interest groups who contribute to these campaigns. But I ask, is it necessary money?

What prompted this post was a trip to the local supermarket Sunday morning. Now I know it seems strange to equate campaign cash to a mundane task we all face, but please bear with me.

There have been many occasions when (especially in the grocery store) I have observed those who appear to be on a fixed income carefully choose their weekly food. When I say it is carefully chosen, it is not meant from the sense of how ripe a tomato might be but rather how much that tomato costs.

Being a careful shopper myself and one who strives to maintain a budget, I can understand that type of scrutiny. But, and there is a but (and a point here), when I see what I did on Sunday morning it sets me to wondering how we justify the monies laid out above for something as trivial as a catering platter to impress local officials or for that matter cash for these robo calls which do no more than disturb a household.

To the point now. An elderly gentleman was ahead of me at the deli counter and I heard him ask the clerk for his “regular order.” This consisted of six slices of their cheapest ham and four slices of whatever cheese was on sale. In his hand basket was a small loaf of bread, and quart of milk and a half dozen eggs.

This was a very pleasant man, one who reminded me of my paternal grandfather which is why I suppose I noticed his order in such detail.

Upon his departure, it was pointed out to me that he has frequented this particular store for years and his budget now only allows for a few items to be purchased weekly. The market has offered him assistance in various areas but his pride evidently will not allow him to accept.

I thought of food stamps but many equate that with welfare and will simply not apply. Some might say that is foolish but I do not know if given the same situation that I would avail myself of the program. I only knew that watching this polite, pleasant, proud man walk away with his meager basket left me rather depressed.

It wasn’t a feeling so much of despair for him, but as I thought of all the money which, in my opinion, has been frittered away on incidentals in the primaries of both parties it caused me to become more disillusioned with the political process in this country than I already am.

Why should one child go hungry or a single mom or dad struggle to feed and clothe their family? Why should those who help build this country through their hard, sometimes tedious work be forced to sustain themselves with so little?

Both parties talk a good game when it comes to poverty in this country. They promise free health care, increases in social security for those in their “golden years” and countless programs which will be supported by the government to sustain the health and welfare of those in need. Promise is the operative word in the preceding sentence.

We are known for our generosity abroad yet we forget those who are in dire need right here at home.

Sure, community groups, churches and charities can help and should. I am not an advocate for larger government programs which so often do not provide the assistance for which they are designed but many times line the pockets of those who are tasked to administer them.

So I ask this. If so many are willing to give so much just based on partisanship and political power, why then could they not give with the same zeal to those who would benefit the most from their gift?
Is there no way we could filter this money so unwisely spent on something which will be forgotten within hours of completion to those in need?

It wasn’t always like this. America has persevered in very hard times in the past but along the way somehow we have lost our way.

Now you must be wealthy to run for those offices which should have the interests of those like the man at the deli counter at heart.

The problem is, the majority of these folks have not graced a market or most other establishments “ordinary Americans” (credit to David) frequent other than on a quick campaign stop. They do not really have a notion of the struggle of every day life for so many in this country.

Sorry for the rambling post folks, but every once in a while something happens in life which makes you recognize that priorities are turned up-side-down. Funny that it was a man at a deli counter who aroused those feelings in me. Problem is, the problem is not new. Poverty touches all age groups, all races and religions. Now (sigh) if there was just a solution.

I am familiar with a situation where a pre-teen child has to take free lunches at school because her immigrant parents recently divorced.

While they were together they got on fine financially, but now she is reduced to taking free lunches.

She won’t take them. Her excuse is she doesn’t like the menu, but the menu is varied. Instead she was taking parts of her friends’ lunches.

The family of one of the friends found out she wouldn’t take free lunches and decided to make her lunch for her on a daily basis.

She likes just chicken and turkey lunchmeat and P, B and J sandwiches. Since it’s Lent and she’s Catholic she eats the P, B and J sandwiches on Friday.

Included with her lunch is a fruit juice drink and a fruit cup or pudding, along with a plastic spoon to eat it.

The cost of her meals is just $5 a week plus the cost of the juices.

I don’t understand why schools don’t make it impossible for students to get a free lunch without having to say the word, “free” when they get to the check-out, thereby inviting ridicule on themselves.

Everyone should have a tag the same color and have to have it scanned and then no one but the cashier knows how much the child is paying. But, then that’s too simple and the government wouldn’t get credit.

I also know of families of working mothers who are homeless. Several churches in our area make space in their church building for them to sleep there for one week and then they have to move on.

The hope is that they will be able to find affordable housing.

How can I rest knowing these stories and knowing they are multiplied all over our country?

We give to missions when a lot of the giving needs to be given to missions right here in the United States.

I don’t know if we can designate our money for missions go to help the working poor in our own city and country or not, but I’m going to ask today.

If I had a second home or a home big enough to take in such a family I would do it in a heartbeat and they could stay until the mother finds affordable housing.

Please pray with me for these people. It’s so hard when you see it in such a small town as ours. Perhaps people in large cities are used to such things, but I’m not used to it and it breaks my heart.

Prayer does a lot and while you’re at it see if God will touch your heart to help such people in need.

Jesus told us that in as much as we helped these people we are helping Him.

Thank you.